Field Safety Resources for Imageomics Institute & AI and Biodiversity Change Global Center¶
This page contains background and guidance for field safety. Please see the Field Safety Plan after you have read through this page.
Purpose¶
This guide provides essential safety protocols and best practices for field research to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants engaged in Imageomics Institute or AI and Biodiversity Change (ABC) Center fieldwork. Adherence to these guidelines is crucial to minimize risks and respond effectively to emergencies.
All research, whether conducted in a laboratory or in an outdoor field setting, requires safety training. Individuals are responsible for maintaining personal safety, as well as for performing research in a manner that does not endanger the safety of others. Most universities, including The Ohio State University Office of Environmental Health and Safety, provide safety information and training to faculty, staff, and students. Imageomics Institute, ABC Center, or one of our partners may also provide training as part of grant-related field research.
Field research is defined as work activities conducted for the purpose of research by faculty, staff or students outside of a research laboratory. Field research hazards may be presented by research activities, as well from the physical, political, social, cultural and/or economic environment of the field location. While some events may be unpredictable or unavoidable, the risks associated with field research can be greatly reduced through training, awareness of hazards and exercising good judgment.
This guide is useful for graduate and professional students, postdoctoral scholars, staff, faculty members, researchers, and all involved in creating safe, welcoming environments for scholarly activities that take place during fieldwork. This guide also has information for anyone who has been impacted by sexual harassment, violence, and/or stalking in the field.
If you believe any aspects are missing from this field guide—including issues related to the climate and safety of the site and accommodations—you may send your feedback directly to Diane Boghrat. If researchers ever feel unsafe, they should promptly communicate their concerns to their supervisors. Supervisors are expected to acknowledge and validate these experiences, making necessary adjustments to ensure the work can proceed safely. You may also submit your general concerns to the Management Team anonymously via the Field Safety Feedback and Reporting Form. Team leaders should always carry relevant permits (when applicable) and credentials that confirm your affiliation with the Center and the institution. We can provide a letter of support for this purpose.
For fieldwork in off-campus locations, develop a field safety plan with site information and emergency procedures. Taking the time to compile a thorough safety plan and discuss it with your team will prepare you to more effectively manage risks that arise in the field. It serves as a risk assessment tool, refers to other protocols or training, and can be used to brief your field team on trip logistics and precautions. The written plan should include the general nature of research activities, itinerary, local contacts, and emergency contacts for each field team member.
- Establish a local point of contact in case of emergencies. When working with local community members, familiarize yourself with the expertise, culture, history, language, land, etc. of the location you will be visiting.
- Identify appropriate equipment, gear and first aid supplies. Ensure that all team members have access to reliable means of communication, such as Wi-Fi and/or satellite phone(s) with on-campus contacts programmed into the device.
- When planning field research, know and utilize inclusive safety protocols and risk assessments for all team members including those with minoritized identities regarding race, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical ability, religious and cultural beliefs, age, socioeconomic status, and/or any other attribute. Awareness of how groups with different identities are perceived and treated by others in different environments is key for ensuring safe and inclusive field experiences.
- For international travel, check the U.S. State Department travel site and the OSU Office of International Affairs for current travel alerts.
- For international travel, make sure you and your team are up to date on immunizations. Employee Health Services (614-293-8146) offers tetanus, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, and rabies immunizations for those traveling on university business.
- Refer to Safety Guidelines for Field Researchers and Field Work Safety Information from the Office of Environmental Health and Safety for more information.
Recommended Safety Trainings¶
- First-aid/CPR
- Wilderness Training
- Self-Defense
Any further specialized training should be arranged by the PI or field team leader.
In the Field
Team leaders should:
- Schedule regular check-ins with field members to discuss safety concerns. Solicit anonymous feedback to determine the climate and safety of the site and accommodations.
- Brief your team often on the plan, timing, their roles and responsibilities, potential hazards, necessary equipment, concerns, etc.
- Affirmative consent – Set a tone for a safe learning environment.
- Support good mental health by optimizing learning instead of focusing on assessment, reducing environmental stressors as much as possible, keeping the length of field activities to a reasonable number of hours per day, offering an opportunity for privacy in the evening, ensuring participants can contact their support structure, and having a compassionate and non-judgmental attitude towards participants expressing distress.
- Inclusivity and Equity– create and maintain opportunities in the field for women and people of color, and other minoritized groups. Ensure equitable division of labor. Each individual is unique, and the best way to determine an inclusion strategy is to include team members in discussions about potential barriers and approaches to inclusion.
- Make time for adequate toilet stops for all members and consider members’ privacy concerns for making such stops.
- Inform field managers at the site or neighboring communities that research is being conducted in the region and include institutional affiliation.
- Researchers should preferably not go into the field alone, but if it is necessary to go alone, they should have a supervisory point of contact with a communication plan of regular check-ins. If researchers feel unsafe at any time, they should communicate this with their supervisors. Supervisors should validate their experiences and provide modifications to complete the work.
- Always carry relevant permits and credentials that demonstrate affiliation with OSU (We can supply a letter of support). Safety vests can be made available.
Reporting and Responding
This section provides tips for responding with care and concern to individuals who share that they have been impacted by harm or violence in the field. Refer to your university’s Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX Office for more information.
• Find a safe environment. Ensure the survivor feels emotionally and physically safe.
• Listen and provide nonjudgmental support. Ask the survivor what they need.
• Clarify your role as a mandated reporter. For example, all Ohio State employees, including student employees, are required to report incidents of sexual assault immediately.
• Connect them to resources (i.e., medical care, police, counseling, etc). Do not pressure or force them to take any action.
• Validate and affirm their choices.
If someone is in crisis or distress, students can reach out to your institution’s Office Student Counseling and Consultation Service. Emergency help is available through the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK.
When traveling internationally please ensure you have the contact information for your university’s Office of International Affairs for Emergencies. For Ohio State it can be found on the webpage Emergencies Abroad.
Acts of Misconduct¶
It is the responsibility of all members of the ABC Global Center and Imageomics Institute community to eliminate any form of misconduct in science and to build a climate based on principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice that allows all individuals to thrive, learn, and grow. Misconduct includes:
- Abuse of any person, including, but not limited to, harassment, stalking, bullying, or hazing of any kind, whether the behavior is carried out verbally, physically, electronically, or in written form;
- Conduct that is unwelcome, offensive, indecent, obscene, or disorderly;
Those who experience or witness misconduct in an ABC Center or Imageomics Institute off-site work environment will be advised to take these steps:
- Document the incident;
- Report the incident to the field leader and/or Management Team (Tanya or Diane) who will offer to connect them to resources (i.e. medical care, police, counseling, etc.) and provide validation of their experience. Please be advised that we are both mandated reporters, so must report the incident to authorities.
Management will investigate all reports of misconduct. Those found to engage in misconduct will be subject to dismissal from the project and further actions as directed by the guidelines of the employers, place of incidence, and relevant federal policies.
Community Principles of Engagement¶
As members of the Imageomics community, we agree to maintain an environment where every participant feels welcome to be their true self and speak from the heart.
To this end, we agree as individuals and as a group to:
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Listen to understand. When one person talks, others listen.
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Speak to be understood. We use lay terms and are patient with people who are not experts in our specific field. We are all learning, no matter who we are.
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Embrace “Yes and…”
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Take space / make space. Those who tend to talk a lot are intentional about letting others talk first, while those who tend to hold back are intentional about contributing.
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Beware of blind spots.
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Respect divergence.
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Respect time.
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Care for each other.
We abide by these principles in all Imageomics spaces, including but not limited to digital and in-person meetings, formal and informal gatherings, online discussion forums and chat spaces, and field and lab work.
Discrimination, bullying or harassment–sexual or otherwise–is misconduct. Those found to engage in misconduct will be subject to dismissal from the project and further actions as directed by the guidelines of the employers and the place of incidence.
If you believe you have experienced or witnessed misconduct in an Imageomics setting, please take these steps:
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Document the incident;
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Tell someone you trust;
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Report the incident to Sam Stevens, Diane Boghrat, or Tanya Berger-Wolf.
Your privacy will be protected to the greatest extent possible.
Accountability and Response to Infractions:¶
If an incident occurs, here are the steps all members should be aware of and that will be followed by leadership as appropriate. For any reporting procedures, documentation of evidence is an important part of the process, especially regarding individuals who continue to offend. If you are documenting an incident involving another person who is being harassed, always ask what they want you to do with the documentation.
- Have a one-on-one conversation.
- Do not assume malicious intent but remember that intent does not diminish the impact.
- Address the discomfort. Although confronting an individual may make them uncomfortable and defensive, convey to them how their words or actions made you or others uncomfortable. Use “I” statements, not “you” statements.
- In the case of a microaggression, you may ask the individual to clarify their meaning by asking questions such as “What do you mean by that?” to encourage them to consider their underlying biases.
- Invite a neutral or trusted third party to the conversation.
- Mediation services are available through the Office of Ombuds for faculty and graduate students, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs for postdocs, and the Office of Human Resources for faculty, staff, and graduate students.
- Ask a trusted third party for assistance; ideally someone in a position with power to do something about the incident or at least provide the necessary support, such as a supervisor, department chair, lab or field station manager, program director, a more senior student, or a trusted individual.
- Start a formal process.
- Submitting a Workplace Complaint Form through your university’s Human Resources department.
- File an anonymous report at 866-294-9350 or online.
- For instances of discrimination or harassment, contact the Office of Institutional Equity.
- In emergency situations or incidents involving crime (e.g., cyberbullying), contact campus or local police and/or EMS.
Resources¶
UC Field Operations Safety Manual
Practical Toolkit for Supporting Belonging - Graduate School
A Guide to Preventing Sexual Violence and Harassment in Field Placements:
Field Research | Office of Environment, Health & Safety
Ten Steps to Protect BIPOC Scholars in the Field - Eos
Safer Science: Strategies to protect at-risk researchers when conducting fieldwork | CALS
Counseling and Consultation Service